Whats it like being a motorcycle mechanic? Details pls?

Do you have to be good at math? Do you bosses just leave you alone to get on with things? Is the pay good? I have a bike and I have done some repairs. Pretty minimal stuff...tightening the chain, putting in new clutch plates. I am thinking of doing a course. I think I would enjoy the not talking to people bit and the working on my own.

I've never worked at a dealership, but I have decades of exeprience working on every kind of machine imaginable. Therefore, I can give you some advice on what skills you need to be a "good" mechanic.

First of all, there's a big difference beteween a "parts changer" and someone that can actually diagnose a problem. That's the hard part, after that's done, fixing it is the easy part.

To be able to diagnose a problem, you need to know how things work, both mechanically and theoretically. What I mean by that is, you can see a piston go up and down and valves open and close, but you can't actually see current being induced in the secondary winding of the ignition coil. You just have to accept the fact that it is and if it isn't and should be, then the coil is likely shot.

Important is being able to think things through methodically. If the problem is in the ignition, you need to know which components are involved, how they act upon each other and then use the process of elimination to find the culprit.

And lastly, your mind needs to be mechanically inclined. Some people have a knack for figuring out how things work more easily than others. Some people never figure it out. That's not to say they aren't intelligent, their mind just isn't wired that way. People can learn to change parts but not all people can grasp individual concepts and then mesh them together in their mind to understand how complete systems work.

If you are so inclined and of the right mind set, read. Read and then read some more. I'm the kind of guy that will set down and read a road atlas of shop manual. Dry reading according to some people, but reading about how to work on any car, truck or bike will help you work on yours.

Second, get some rudimentary tools, the inexpensive Chinese ones and start tinkering. Best of all is an old lawnmower engine. They're cheaply made and are consider "throw away" when worn and therefore have little monetary value. Get hold of one from a lawnmower shop for a few bucks and then take it apart, piece by piece. And then try to put it back together. My library has lawnmower shop manuals, so I bet yours would too. This will give you a little guidance. There's a lot of difference between a 3.5 hp Briggs and Stratton mower engine and a 500hp Dodge Viper V-10, but basically they operate the same. Fuel, air, pistons, valves, crankshaft, etc.

Good luck and try to enjoy yourself.

and thanks Big B thats really helpful :] Report It

It depends on the situation. If you work at a dealership your income will likely be based on a commission scale. You need to work quickly without making mistakes. It's not like changing tires on a car. You leave a axle loose here and you can kill someone. You don't necessarily need to be good at math but you will need some math. I would recommend trying to get hired on (spring is usually the best time) at a shop as a new bike assembler, those jobs are usually given to those with less experience and then learn while you are there. If you still like it 6 months or a year later than you might get something out of school. I personally have seen most people that come from MMI leave the industry before a year. Thats not to say that it does'ent help you. You just should have some idea of what you are getting into before you invest in the classes. and about not talking to people,you still talk to people only there not always happy cause there bike is broke and they have to pay you to fix it. Good luck

Bikinlaw pretty much summed it up. I would encourage you to take the class... even if you decide that oneday you want to become a doctor or a cook or even a mom noone will be able to take that experience from you and over the years you will be able to save many times over the money you spent on the class... besides how cool would it be to know 10 times more about motorcycles than the guy next to you??? I know that my daughters confidence has vastly improved since she has been riding and working on her own bikes.

I worked as a Harley/Yamaha mechanic. The work is very seasonal, & the pay isn't that great unless you do piece work. I would recommend it for a part time job in the spring & summer but not a career.
I enjoyed it. It was dirty work & you'll need your own tools.The boss would tell me what he need to get done that day & left me alone. I worked with a good group of guys.

Nothing wrong with taking the course though. You can always use the knowledge.

if you are really interested,try to find a motorcycle salvage yard,take your classes then go there and talk to the owner and see if he has any parts he needs removed from his salvage yard and see if he will let you get them for him.my buddie has a couple of high school kids that come in a couple of hours a week,for free of course,but they get alot of free training from him,plus his knowledge of being in shops for the past 50 years.i restore pre 80s kawasaki kzs.and just love to wrench on them.im an A.S.E. master tech since79 been wrenching all my life.love it!

Math isn't that necessary, but the bosses will hound you after you're no longer new to the trade and should speed up if they don't like your work rate since a lot of them over-book the work. The dealers charge anywhere from 70-100+ an hour an they give you next to nothing of that. Dealers are greedy and don't care about the techs.

I attended a trade school and got a degree and went to work for Harley, awful awful awful. If you want to do 1.5 years of schooling for $8.50 an hour then go for it. After 7 years in the business you'll be lucky to get $14 an hour, an no Harley dealer does flat rate that I've ever heard of through co-workers or friends, that would be much better. I've also worked for Triumph and Ducati and it's a lot better, but still only about $15 an hour with 8 years under the belt. The japanese companies can pay a little better but not by much as I've been told.

Not to mention that dealerships go through techs like crazy, it doesn't take much before they'll fire you because there's another guy out there who thinks he can do the job. I've worked for 2 shops since '00. It's like musical chairs out there with the jobs at all the dealerships, I've seen dozens and dozens of techs come and go.

The smaller shops usually consist of better people but the shops are so small typically that they can't afford to pay you better, I like the people there more but since they aren't officially linked to the brands they are harder to get gear/equipment through and are sometimes totally unable to get their hands on special tools that only the dealers get their hands on.

In the end, I'd advise you to go to school for nearly anything else, I changed careers and it has improved my life greatly, motorcycles are still my passion, but the career is a path I wish I could take back. Continue to gain knowledge about working on your bike, that's always a good thing, but it's not a career path I would want anyone I care about to take.

Sorry to be so negative and ramble on, but I hated the job and would like to save others from taking the path if I can.